GEORGE TOWN, March 19 ― The Penang state government has launched a “Penang Lawan Covid-19” website as part of its campaign against misinformation about the virus and to create awareness about the novel coronavirus.
Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim, who is heading the communications and public empowerment of Penang Lawan Covid-19 campaign, said the main aim is to dispel fake news and keep the public informed.
“We are providing information such as statistics and news on Covid-19 while also replying enquiries on the latest situation,” Sim said.
He said the public needs to get the right information from the right sources and they can obtain it from Penang Lawan Covid-19’s Facebook page, Twitter or its website, penanglawancovid19.com.
Sim said fake news could cause unnecessary panic, tension among the people and bog down hospitals as people would be calling to confirm the fake news they received.
“We are trying to relieve the burden on hospitals as they need to focus on providing healthcare to patients and one way was to answer all questions and dispel fake news,” he said.
He said they also hope to disseminate information on the movement control order (MCO) and Covid-19 to as many people as possible so that they will comply with the MCO.
The website was put up almost overnight and it has the announcements made by the Penang state government, the contact numbers to call for assistance and the latest Covid-19 statistics.
Sim said the website, along with the respective social media pages, will be updated regularly.
